Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 6:28

Here the author inserts a direct quotation from Darius’ letter to the Persian officials, which extends through verse 31. This quote is much too long to be converted to indirect speech, so it should be introduced by a quote frame, for example, “he continued” (Good News Bible) or “The king went on to say.” Good News Bible does not indent this quotation, but we suggest that it be done (so Contemporary English Version; see the comments on 1 Esdras 6.8 and 1 Esd 2.3).

And I command that it be built completely may be rendered “I also command that the Lord’s Temple be completely rebuilt” or even “I also command that the Jews completely rebuild the Lord’s Temple.”

And that full effort be made to help the men who have returned from the captivity of Judea, until the house of the Lord is finished: That full effort be made to help may be expressed as “that you do everything you can to help” or even “that you give them all the help you can” (Contemporary English Version). The men who have returned from the captivity of Judea is literally “those from the captivity of Judea.” The word for men is not in the Greek text, so this clause is better rendered “the Jews who have returned from exile [or, Babylonia].”

Here are possible models for this verse:

• He went on to say:
“I command that the Lord’s Temple be completely rebuilt, and that every effort be made to help the Jews who have returned from exile until the work is completed.

• He went on to say:
“I command that the Jews who have returned from exile completely rebuild the Lord’s Temple, and that you do everything you can to help them until the work is completed [or, they complete the work].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 8:16

And whatever you and your brethren are minded to do with the gold and silver, perform it in accordance with the will of your God: The Greek pronouns for you and your are singular, referring to Ezra. Translators can make this clear by inserting his name (see the model below). Your brethren refers to Ezra’s fellow Jews. Contemporary English Version translates the gold and silver as “the remaining gold and silver,” that is, what is left over after buying the sacrificial animals and other material. This reading follows the parallel passage in Ezra 7.18. However, the Greek text here does not say this, and it will be best to leave out the idea “remaining,” although it may indeed have been intended.

Perform it in accordance with the will of your God: Whatever Ezra and his fellow Jews decide to do with the gold and silver must be done according to God’s will. This clause may be translated “but do it in conformity with the will of your God” or “as long as you do it according to what your God wants.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Ezra, you and the rest of the Jews may do whatever you like with the gold and silver, as long as it does not go against [or, is consistent with] the will of your God.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 8:65 - 8:66

And those who had come back from captivity offered sacrifices to the Lord, the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-two lambs, and as a thank offering twelve he-goats—all as a sacrifice to the Lord: Although the text is not clear about this, we must assume that those who had come back from captivity refers to all the returned Jews, and not simply those who returned with Ezra. For the numbers of animals sacrificed, compare 1 Esd 7.7-8 and Ezra 6.17. On this occasion the numbers of animals (12, 96, 72, 12) are all multiples of 12; this may be intended to underscore the completeness of Israel as now back together in Jerusalem. For bulls, rams, lambs and he-goats, see the comments on 1 Esd 6.28 and 7.7-8. In 1 Esd 7.8 the twelve male goats are sacrificed as a sin offering, but here they are a thank offering. Good News Bible says “fellowship offering,” which renders the Greek expression here better. For this type of offering see the comments on 1 Esd 1.14. Good News Bible provides an excellent model for this verse.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 9:6

And all the multitude sat in the open square before the temple: All the multitude refers to the men mentioned in verse 5, so this phrase may be rendered “all these men.” The open square before the temple probably refers to the same place where Ezra was praying in 1 Esd 8.91. It was the large outer courtyard in front of the Temple, where a large group of people could assemble. This phrase may be translated “the [outer] courtyard [or, plaza] in front of the Temple.”

Shivering because of the bad weather that prevailed: The parallel passage of Ezra 10.9 says the people were shivering for two reasons, fear and rain. Here only bad weather is mentioned. Although Good News Bible reports the people shivering because of the cold weather, we think it not unfair to interpret this verse in light of Ezra 10.9. Contemporary English Version does by rendering it as follows:

• They all went to the temple courtyard, where they sat down, shivering in the winter rain.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 1:1 - 1:3

The second book of the prophet Ezra may be rendered “This is the second book of the prophet Ezra (Good News Bible)” or “… written by the prophet Ezra.” There is no way to tell what the author has in mind for the first book of Ezra. It may be the book of Ezra in the Old Testament. There is certainly no evident connection of this book with either the book of Ezra or the book of 1 Esdras. A prophet not only prophesied events that would happen in the future, but also counseled his people about how they should deal with daily events (see the comments on 1 Esd 1.20). Some translators will wish to translate prophet as “God’s messenger.” The name Ezra is probably a shortened form of Azariah, meaning “the LORD has helped.” The Greek form of this name is the origin of the name “Esdras.”

The son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Ahijah, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Arna, son of Uzzi, son of Borith, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi: The family line of Ezra is also found in Ezra 7.1-5 and in 1 Esd 8.1-2. The genealogy here differs somewhat from those. The three genealogies are exactly the same from Ezra through Ahitub, and again from Abishua through Aaron. The names Ahijah, Phinehas, and Eli appear only in 2 Esdras. Amariah appears in all three books, but Azariah and Meraioth are missing from 1 Esdras, In place of Arna the Ezra genealogy has “Zerahiah”; there is no corresponding name in 1 Esdras. The name Uzzi is in all three lists. In place of Borith both Ezra and 1 Esdras have “Bukki.” We recommend that translators use the same forms of these names used in the book of Ezra where possible, Arna and Borith are exceptions. Levi was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named for one of the sons of Jacob. Members of the tribe of Levi were priests, so the writer here is identifying Ezra as a legitimate priest. Of the tribe of Levi may be rendered “a member of the tribe of Levi.” Some cultures have special literary forms or a special genre for tracing ancestry. Where they exist, the special rules of this genre should be followed in presenting this genealogy. As in the Latin text, it may be traced from Ezra to his father, grandfather and great-grandfather back to Aaron. Alternatively, the order of presentation may be reversed to trace Ezra’s ancestors from Aaron in descending order.

Who was a captive in the country of the Medes in the reign of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians: The relative pronoun who refers back to the prophet Ezra, not to Levi. The word captive indicates that Ezra was among the Jews exiled by the Babylonians. The Medes were the people of Media, which was a province of the Persian Empire (see the comments on 1 Esd 3.1-2). There were two Persian emperors named Artaxerxes, and it is not clear here which is meant. Artaxerxes I ruled from 465 to 424 B.C. (see 1 Esd 2.16). Artaxerxes II ruled from 405 to 359 B.C. Most likely the former emperor is meant. For king of the Persians, see the comments on 1 Esd 1.57 and 2.1.

The Latin text has only one sentence for verses 1-3 (so also Revised Standard Version), but many languages will prefer several sentences here (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). In verse 4 Ezra begins speaking in the first person singular, so some translators may wish to bring the first person forward into this material; for example, Contemporary English Version renders these verses as follows:

• 1-3 I am Ezra the prophet, the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah. I belong to the Levi tribe, because my ancestors go all the way back to Aaron and include Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Ahijah, Phinehas, Eli, Amariah, Azariah, Meraimoth, Arna, Uzzi, Borith, Abishua, Phinehas, and Eleazar son of Aaron.
I wrote this second book during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia, while I was a prisoner in Media Province.

Here is another model:

• 1-3 This is the second book of [or, written by] the prophet Ezra, who was a captive in Media at the time when Artaxerxes was king of Persia. Ezra was a Levite [or, member of the tribe of Levi], and was descended from Seraiah, Azariah, Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Ahijah, Phinehas, Eli, Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, Arna, Uzzi, Borith, Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, and Aaron.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 1:37

I call to witness the gratitude of the people that is yet to come, whose children rejoice with gladness: The Lord tells his people that the coming people, who will take their place, will be grateful, unlike Israel, for what he does for them. Whose children rejoice with gladness means the descendants of the coming people will be happy and shout for joy. This sentence may be translated “I want you to know that the people who take your place will be grateful for what I do for them. Their descendants will be a happy people who shout for joy.”

Though they do not see me with bodily eyes, yet with the spirit they will believe the things I have said: Compare John 20.29; 1 Peter 1.8. It is not necessary to make the phrase with bodily eyes explicit in translation, if it will be clear to the reader that the verb see refers to physical sight (so Good News Bible). Here the Latin word for spirit refers to a person’s inner being. Some languages refer to this inner being as the “heart” or “mind.” We may render this sentence as “They will not see me, but in their hearts they will believe the things I have said.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 2:31

Remember your sons that sleep means the mother must think about her children who have died. The verb sleep is a euphemism for death. Good News Bible keeps this euphemism by saying “Remember your children who are asleep in their graves.” A model that removes it is “Remember [or, Think of] your children who are dead [or, no longer living].”

Because I will bring them out of the hiding places of the earth means God will resurrect the children who have died, he will bring them back to life. The hiding places of the earth refers to wherever they may be buried.

And will show mercy to them: In some languages it will be better to place this clause before the previous one (see the model below).

For I am merciful repeats the idea in will show mercy to them for emphasis. Both Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version omit this emphasis, but if possible, it should be kept (see the model below).

Says the Lord Almighty: See the comments on 2 Esd 1.14-15. Contemporary English Version omits this clause, but it is better to keep it (see the model below).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Think of your children who are no longer living. I will have mercy on them and bring them out of their graves, from wherever they are buried. I will do this because I am merciful. I, the Lord All-Powerful, am saying this.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 3:18

The purpose of verses 18-19 is to emphasize the importance of the giving of the Law by making it an event so grand that it affected the forces of nature (see Exo 19.16-18; compare Psa 18.7-15).

Thou didst bend down the heavens: This verse begins with the Latin conjunction that is literally “And” (King James Version, An American Translation). This conjunction may be rendered “Then” or omitted (so Revised Standard Version). Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version begin this verse helpfully with the adverb “There” to indicate that these dramatic events took place at Mount Sinai. Contemporary English Version interprets the figurative expression Thou didst bend down the heavens to mean “you covered the land with thick clouds,” which is a helpful model. A model that keeps the figurative language is “you brought the sky downward.”

And shake the earth, and move the world: Shake the earth means to make the earth move up and down, and move the world means to make it rock back and forth. Some translators may prefer to combine these two clauses into one; example, Contemporary English Version says “and shook the entire earth.” As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, there is a textual problem here. The Latin text has “make the earth steady” instead of shake the earth. The latter reading fits the context better, and is found in most ancient translations (Syriac, Georgian, Ethiopic, and one Arabic version), so we prefer it.

And make the depths to tremble: Here the Latin word for depths refers to the deep water of the ocean, which people thought was underneath the earth (see Gen 7.11). God made this water shake with storms.

And trouble the times: The Latin word rendered times (saeculum) is probably better translated “world” (Metzger [1983]) or “universe” (Good News Bible) in this context (see “Translating 2 Esdras,” page 313). New English Bible renders this clause as “and turned creation upside down.” We may also say “and brought violent disturbance to all creation [or, to the whole universe]” or “and disturbed the whole universe violently.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Then you brought the sky downward, you shook the earth up and down* and rocked it back and forth, you swept the ocean with storms, and brought violent disturbance to all creation [or, to the whole universe].
* Most ancient translations: shook the earth up and down; Latin: made the earth steady.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.